Remembering the Dream
by pikapiaaml
Summary: What are Ash and Misty's dreams about? What are they telling them? Memory or fantasy? Will they, together, find the truth? *R + R please!*


Disclaimer: You know, I'm getting so sick of writing these ... I'd have thought it'd be obvious by now! I don't own the adorable, cute Pocket Monsters ... *sigh* .  
  
Er ... anyway, here's a "what if?" fic. Now, I'm sure you all saw the first movie (if you didn't, what are you doing here?). Stupid Mewtwo made them forget! Well, what if they began to remember? Please note: First Movie goes slightly different in this story, and Masato left to go back home for some reason.  
  
Oh, and when I kept on trying to upload this some of the italics wouldn't work, so I've had to put "directions" instead. Sorry! When I put it on my site, italics will be there!  
  
Anyway, enjoy!  
~ ~ ~  
  
Remembering the Dream  
  
~ ~ ~  
  
*~*  
  
"STOP!!!"  
  
"Ash!!!"  
  
"Oh no!"  
  
"Pikapi!"  
  
And the boy lay on the ground. Dead ...  
  
*~*  
  
Ash gasped and shot up in his bed, sweat covering his forehead. Just what was that dream about? Something about it seemed so familiar, yet unreal. Maybe he shouldn't have eaten that third cheeseburger at dinner.  
  
"Ash?" came a whisper from the other side of the room. Haruka was sat up in her bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Are you ok? I heard you cry out."  
  
"I just had a really weird dream, that's all. Sorry if I woke you," he said.  
  
"Wanna talk?" she asked.  
  
"Nah," he declined. "It's something I ate, I think." He shot her a reassuring smile. "Goodnight."  
  
"Night," she replied, lying back down to sleep.  
  
Ash lay back down in his bed, but his mind wouldn't let him relax. It was racing with thoughts of that dream. But why was this dream unnerving him so much? He'd had plenty of strange dreams before.  
  
It took two hours for him to fall asleep again.  
  
***  
  
*~*  
  
A Pikachu ran out to the boy lying still on the floor.  
  
"No ... " she whispered as she stood up, shaking. She stumbled out to him, speed increasing with each step. Reaching him, she collapsed by his side, when his body began to glow slightly.  
  
"Ash," she whispered. "Ash! You can get up now, stop scaring me," she said shakily.  
  
"Pikachupi," the Pikachu said to her, moving to her.  
  
The girl moved to touch the boy, when his body turned grey. She touched him, feeling cold, hard stone at her fingertips. "Ash ... ASH! You can't do this to me Ash! You can't die!" she began to sob. "You still owe me that bike," she joked.  
  
But no reply came ...  
  
*~*  
  
"Ash!" Misty screamed as she shot up in her bed. She immediately reached for her bedside lamp. Hands shaking, she finally found the pull-switch and turned it on. She took deep breaths to try and calm herself down.  
  
"What was that dream about?" she said to herself.  
  
She got out of her bed, looking over to see if she had woken Togepi up. She hadn't, luckily. Reaching for her blue nightgown, she put it on and walked into the adjoining bathroom. She switched on the light and looked in the mirror.  
  
'God, I look a mess ... ' she thought to herself. She noticed how messed up her hung-down hair was, and the bags under her eyes. She hadn't been getting much sleep lately. The arrival of her sisters and their stories about their travels made sure of that.  
  
A knock at the door made her flinch. "Misty?" a voice came through. She walked and opened the door to real one of her sisters.  
  
"Something wrong Daisy?" she said to her sister.  
  
"Was that you crying out?" she asked sleepily.  
  
"Yeah. Sorry if I woke you up," she apologised. It didn't help matters that only a wall separated her and Daisy's bedrooms.  
  
"Did you shout out 'Ash'?" she asked her, slightly more awake now.  
  
"Err," Misty said nervously, thinking of something to say. "No! I, erm, said ... 'ah!'." When her sister shot her an unbelieving look she gave more details. "I was having a horrible dream about bugs. They were everywhere! Yuk!" she blabbered.  
  
"Yeah," she said. "You know, I'm here, and so are Lily and Violet, if ya wanna talk about anything."  
  
Her sister's sudden display of affection moved Misty. "Thanks, but I'm fine." She smiled at her.  
  
"K. Goodnight little sis," Daisy finished, kissing Misty on the top of her head.  
  
"Night," Misty repeated, closing the door as she left. She sighed, went and switched the bathroom light off, then dropped down on her bed. She turned her head and saw a picture frame. She sat up, picked up the frame, and turned it so she could see it.  
  
A picture of herself and Ash greeted her. They were at the Whirl Cup celebrations party, held after the final ceremony had finished. She smiled as she remembered that night ...  
  
*Two years ago ... *  
  
"Ash!" Misty called to him. He was standing by the refreshments table.  
  
"Hey Misty," he greeted. "I was just getting something to eat."  
  
"Same old Ash," she said.  
  
"Hey," he retorted. They laughed, sharing an old joke with each other.  
  
"Having fun?" Brock asked as he moved over to them.  
  
"Yep," Ash replied.  
  
"You?" Misty asked.  
  
"Nurse Joy is avoiding me, Officer Jenny has threatened to arrest me if I go near her, and I've been slapped twice," he replied.  
  
"Same old Brock!" Misty joked. She and Ash laughed again.  
  
"Very funny," he said sarcastically. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Nurse Joy sneaking around. "Uh, gotta go guys!" he said quickly, and he moved away.  
  
"Poor Brock," Ash said, taking a sip of his cola.  
  
"Ash," Misty began. "Have I ever said thank you?" she asked.  
  
"What for?" he wondered.  
  
"For everything. I know we have our arguments, but if it weren't for you, I would have missed out on a lot of things in my life." Ash decided to remain quiet and listen to her. "I never would have travelled as far as I have. I never would have Togepi, Poliwhirl, Corsola, or even Psyduck. I just wanna say thanks," she finished.  
  
"Wow Mist," he said, surprised at her words. "What brought this on? You're not leaving, are you?" he wondered, secretly hoping she wasn't.  
  
"No I'm not, silly," she joked. "Isn't enough just to want to say thank you?"  
  
"Never," he said sincerely. "I'll always be here for you," he finished. Next he did something that surprised them both. He pulled Misty close to him and hugged her, both wrapping their arms round each other, both grinning like mad and relaxing into each other.  
  
A clicking of a camera shutter was heard and the two of them jumped apart. "That'll be a wonderful picture," the photographer said to them.  
  
Both Misty and Ash turned red. "You could have warned us," she suggested.  
  
"They're always better if you don't know," he told them. "I'll leave you two copies with Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Centre. They'll be there in the morning." Then he moved away to surprise more people ...  
  
* *  
  
Sure enough, next day the photographs were there. Brock had wondered why they were blushing so much, and why they hid them from him.  
  
She placed the photo frame back on the side, took off her nightgown, and got back into bed. She glanced once at Togepi before turning the light off.  
  
But thoughts of that dream kept her awake for hours.  
  
***  
  
*~*  
  
Cold ... Stiff ...  
  
He could hear. He could barely see, but he could hear-  
  
"Pikachu!" a Pikachu cried. His Pikachu. "Pikapi! Pika pichu Pikachupi!"  
  
~He should not have stepped in the way, ~ a psychic voice said. He knew that voice, but from where?  
  
"KEEP AWAY!" a female voice screamed. A voice filled with sadness and pain.  
  
Misty's voice.  
  
"This is your fault Mewtwo! You've just killed one of the truest people on the planet! He loved all Pokémon! He would have given his life to save yours, to save anyone's! And now ... he's dead!" Her voice gave way and she collapsed on top of Ash.  
  
How much he wanted to stop her pain ...  
  
*~*  
  
After minutes and hours of tossing and turning, Ash was finally awakened.  
  
"Ash!" Brock shouted. "Thank god! That must have been one hell of a dream!" he joked.  
  
"How long?" Ash asked.  
  
"We've been trying to wake you for about 10 minutes," Haruka said.  
  
"I ... " he croaked, unable to speak. He took deep breaths to try and calm down.  
  
"Ash?" Brock asked, concerned.  
  
"What time is it?" Ash asked.  
  
"Why?" Haruka wondered.  
  
"The time!" he shouted.  
  
Haruka looked at her watch. "6am. Ash, why?"  
  
"Haruka, I need to talk to Brock. Alone."  
  
Brock looked puzzled. Haruka was going to ask him whether she should go or not, but he pointed his head in the direction of the door. She reluctantly left.  
  
"Mind telling me what's wrong?" he asked, sitting on the edge of the Pokémon Centre bed.  
  
Ash moved so he was sitting next to Brock, legs over the side of the bed. "Two weeks ago, I had this dream. We were in a stadium and two Pokémon were battling. I ran into the middle, their attacks hit me and I ... I died."  
  
"Dreams can be a little scary Ash, but they're not real," Brock told him.  
  
"This felt real though," Ash explained. "I was there, you were there, and Misty was there. I can remember I saw two Charizard's; one of them might have been mine. I was also wearing my old outfit. I could feel the pain when I got hit, when I was lying there and I couldn't move. I can remember Misty crying and shouting at something called Mewtwo."  
  
"Are you sure you weren't dreaming that?" Brock asked.  
  
"What are you implying?" Ash accused. "I've had the same dream, watched everything move forward little by little every night, every time I close my eyes ... I can hear her crying, see her crying and it's driving me insane!" He placed his head in his hands and tried to keep the tears away.  
  
"You miss her, don't you?" Brock probed gently.  
  
"Of course I miss her," he said sadly. "She has always been there with me, from day 1, and now she isn't."  
  
"Well, it should be about 9am in Cerulean City. Why don't you give her a call?" Brock suggested.  
  
"Thanks Brock," Ash said. He got up and headed to the door. When he opened it, Haruka quickly jumped out of the way, Ash not noticing her as he walked by.  
  
"Where's he going?" she asked.  
  
"To make a phone call," Brock answered, following after him. She tagged along.  
  
***  
  
"Ring, ring, ring! Ring, ring, ring! Phone call! Phone call! Ring, ring, ring! Ring, ring-"  
  
"Hello, this is the Cerulean City Gym, home of the famous Sensational Sisters. How may I help you?"  
  
'Lily?' came a reply.  
  
"Hang on ... where have I heard that voice?" she thought out loud. She switched on the video option.  
  
"Ash! Oh, thank god you've called," Lily emphasised down the phone.  
  
'Can I-' he began to speak, before he was interrupted.  
  
"Lily? Is that call for me?" Violet shouted to her.  
  
"No!" she shouted back. "Sorry Ash, what did you say?"  
  
'Is-' he began again, before he was interrupted a second time.  
  
"Is that Richard on the phone?" Daisy called.  
  
"No!" she replied.  
  
'CAN I PLEASE TALK TO MISTY!?' Ash shouted to her.  
  
"OK!" she yelled. "Daisy, Ash is on the phone for Misty!"  
  
"I'll get her!" she shouted.  
  
"She's on her way," Lily said. "Jesus Ash, you look like you haven't been sleeping!"  
  
'I haven't,' Ash told her.  
  
"LILY! VIOLET!" Daisy shouted, running to Lily's location.  
  
'What's happening?' Ash asked, worried.  
  
"Give me the phone!" Daisy commanded, snatching it off Lily. "Ash, she's gone!" she said out of breath.  
  
'Gone!? Where!?' he shouted. In the background of the phone, Brock and Haruka could be heard talking.  
  
"She left a note," Daisy said, waving it around. She held the phone with her chin and shoulder, and opened the letter. " 'Guys, sorry to do this, but since you're back I can go. Something happened years ago, involving a Mewtwo, and I'm remembering it now in dreams I'm having. I have to find Ash in Hoenn, and find the truth of what happened. I've got an air ticket to Lilycove City and I'll be safe so don't worry about me. Love Misty.' "  
  
'Mewtwo ... ' Ash mumbled.  
  
"You know something?" Violet quizzed him.  
  
'He's been having the same dreams,' Brock told them  
  
"How far are you from Lilycove City?" Lily asked.  
  
Ash looked to Brock. 'We can be there in two days,' Brock said. 'I'll try and call the Pokémon Centre there. Get Nurse Joy to tell her we're on our way.'  
  
"Thank you so much!" all three said together.  
  
'We'll call you in 2 days,' Ash told them.  
  
"Thanks again guys," Daisy said. "Bye!" And they signed off.  
  
Leaving them to worry about Misty ...  
  
***  
  
*~*  
  
She kept crying, lying on top of his still form. Pikachu was lying with her hand on his back, crying as well.  
  
~I never realised humans could feel so much for another human, ~ Mewtwo thought, psychically, out loud.  
  
All the Pokémon called loudly, mourning the loss of life. The tears being cried from them began to move towards Mewtwo, collection around him. She noticed this, and stopped crying.  
  
"What are you doing?" She asked.  
  
~I can bring him back. The tears will bring him back, ~ he called. She watched, hope filling her heart as all their tears collected around him. He then directed them to Ash's still form, lighting it up. The grey disappeared and the colour returned.  
  
When he still didn't move, Misty crawled over and whispered in his ear. "Come back Ash ... I need you ... "  
  
The shine disappeared and his normal coloured body remained. He began to stir and he lifted his head slightly. "I'm here for you Misty," he murmured.  
  
"Ash!" she shouted with joy. He rolled himself over to see her. Her eyes were red, yet her face held the biggest grin ever. She jumped forward, hugging him for all he was worth, knocking him on the floor.  
  
Both laughed with joy and relief, the laughter echoing as the dream ended ...  
  
*~*  
  
The voice of the airline captain announcing the arrival at Lilycove City startled Misty awake from another dream. She gently woke up Togepi. He acted a little cranky, so she lifted him to see out the window.  
  
"See that Togepi? That's Lilycove City in Hoenn, where Ash, Brock and Pikachu are! We're gonna try and find them," she told him. He wiggled his arms around and chirped in excitement. Misty sat him back down and looked at her clothes. She wondered if a pair of black shorts and a short, light blue dress was ok to wear in Hoenn.  
  
She sighed and looked out of the window.  
  
30 minutes later Misty had arrived and was on her way to the Pokémon Centre. When she arrived in the door she waited while Joy was speaking to a female trainer.  
  
"Can you heal my Pokémon please Joy?" the girl trainer asked. "They're a little worn out."  
  
"Certainly!" Nurse Joy said cheerily.  
  
"Please take special care with my Togepi. She's not that old and doesn't like the Poké ball."  
  
"Togepi?" Nurse Joy asked her. Misty listened, surprised to hear another person who owned a Togepi.  
  
"Is your name Misty, from the Kanto region?" Joy asked her.  
  
Misty froze. Why was Nurse Joy looking for her?  
  
"I'm from Johto," she said. "You must have me confused with someone else."  
  
"Sorry! I had a call from my cousin, saying to look out for a girl called Misty, with a Togepi." When Joy heard Misty's Togepi chirp, she turned to look at them.  
  
"I'm Misty, from Cerulean City," Misty said.  
  
Joy turned to the girl trainer. "I'll be careful with them. Come back in a few hours. Check out the PokéHouse contests for something to do."  
  
"Thanks," the girl said. "Bye!" She walked out the centre.  
  
Nurse Joy gave the tray of Poké balls to a Chansey, then moved in front of the desk and went to Misty.  
  
"Why are you looking for me?" Misty asked.  
  
"Like I said to that girl, my cousin in the nearest Pokémon Centre from here called me yesterday. A group of three trainers wanted me to find a girl called Misty, with a Togepi, and give her a message."  
  
"Three trainers ... " Misty thought. "Ash and Brock!"  
  
"I have the exact message over here," Joy said. She went back behind the desk. The notice board had a piece of paper pinned on it. She removed it and handed it to Misty, who had walked to stand in front of her, but in front of the desk.  
  
Misty read it out loud. " 'Misty, we know from your sisters you're in Lilycove. We need to talk about the dreams. I think I'm having the same ones. Stay there until we get there. Ash.' "  
  
"I personally thought it sounded a little strange, but that's exactly what he said," Joy told her. "They said two days and that was yesterday, so they'll be here tomorrow."  
  
"Thank you Joy," Misty said to her. "Can I have a room for tonight?"  
  
"Take this one," she said, handing her a key. "There are 4 beds, enough for when your friends arrive. See you later."  
  
"Bye," Misty said, heading off to her room. She smiled widely. She would hopefully be able to sleep tonight.  
  
How wrong she would turn out to be.  
  
***  
  
"Slow down Ash!" Brock called to him.  
  
"Ash, we can't keep up!" Haruka shouted.  
  
Ash stopped and turned round to face them. "Sorry. I guess I'm just a little anxious to get there," he said, looking at the setting sun.  
  
"We won't get there tonight," Brock told him. "Well, unless you ran flat out, and that wouldn't do you any good. We may as well stay here tonight. If we start off in the morning, we'll get to Lilycove at about 2pm."  
  
Ash sighed and admitted his defeat. "Ok," he said. "I'll go and find some firewood." He took of his backpack and left it with them.  
  
"I'll help Brock start cooking," Haruka announced, getting the pots and pans out. Pikachu jumped down to help her. When her back was turned Ash silently told Brock to keep her away from the food. Brock laughed as Ash walked off.  
  
***  
  
Back in the Lilycove City Pokémon Centre, Nurse Joy was on her way to Misty's Room. It was dinnertime in the Centre's restaurant and Misty hadn't come down to eat, something Nurse Joy never allowed in her centre. She arrived at Misty's room and knocked on the door.  
  
There was no reply.  
  
"Misty!" Nurse Joy called. "It's dinnertime! You have to eat something!" When she got no reply, she turned the door handle and entered the room.  
  
The window was wide open, the breeze blowing on the curtains. There was no sign of Misty. "Misty?" she asked quietly. She peered in the bathroom to see if she was there.  
  
There were broken toiletries on the floor, and marks as if someone had dragged her. There were also Pokémon footprints. "Oh no!" Joy cried. She ran out into the other room, and noticed a broken lamp on the floor near the open window. She ran and looked out the window. There were drag marks on the grass, stretching several metres. Then they stopped.  
  
"I have to call Jenny!" she shouted. Adrenaline rushing through her, she ran to use the phone.  
  
'But what do I tell those kids when they arrive?'  
  
***  
  
"Brock!" Haruka moaned. "Can't I help with anything?" she pleaded, watching Brock peel potatoes.  
  
"You can wash up," he joked.  
  
"But I wanna cook," she mumbled, Pikachu jumping to sit on her knee. "I really like cooking!"  
  
"Haruka, the last time you cooked we were stuck in Mauville City for a whole week!" Brock pointed out.  
  
"Pika pikachu," Pikachu said, remembering how sick Ash and Brock were.  
  
"But I didn't know that chicken was off," she admitted. "Ok! I'll wash up."  
  
"Well anyway," Brock said, standing up, "I've finished preparing. Where's Ash with that wood?"  
  
"He's been gone for 45 minutes," Haruka said worriedly, looking over to the huge collection of trees next to the side of the road.  
  
"We'd better go look," Brock decided, moving to walk into the forest.  
  
"Wait for us!" Haruka cried, holding Pikachu to her and running after her.  
  
***  
  
"Where am I!?" Misty shouted, moving her hands around the side of the small dark box she seemed to be in. "Who are you!? Where's Togepi!?"  
  
She got no reply.  
  
"Look ... please don't hurt my Togepi! He's still young!" Her pleas earned her silence.  
  
"I only got here today! I'm from Cerulean City, in Kanto!" When she still got silence, she banged the side of the cage, her temper rising.  
  
"Look you weirdo! People know I'm here! I have friends who are travelling and meeting me tomorrow! Nurse Joy'll have called Officer Jenny by now! They'll be looking for me!"  
  
When she still got no reply, her fear and sadness overwhelmed her. Sobbing, she lay on the floor, eventually drifting off to sleep.  
  
***  
  
"How do we know this is the way he went?" Haruka asked Brock. They had been walking for 20 minutes trying to find Ash, and still nothing.  
  
"We don't," Brock told her.  
  
She sighed. "That's very helpful."  
  
Pikachu, now walking on the ground, stopped and twitched his ears.  
  
"Pikachu, can you hear Ash?" Brock asked, kneeling down besides him.  
  
Pikachu stood listening, and then ran off, fast.  
  
"Pikachu!" Brock shouted, getting up and running after him.  
  
"I hope Ash is alright," Haruka said, running as well.  
  
They ran through a small bush, and noticed Pikachu standing by a small egg Pokémon who was crying.  
  
"Oh!!!" Haruka cried, reaching for an empty Poké ball. "A Togepi! I'm so gonna catch this!"  
  
Pikachu stood and used his arms to block Togepi, cheeks sparking. "Pika! Pipipi pi pika Pikachupi!"  
  
"Ok ... " Haruka said nervously, putting the Poké ball away. "I won't catch the Togepi!"  
  
Pikachu pulled on Brock's trousers, telling him to go to Togepi. Brock picked the egg up. "It's Misty's Togepi!" he cried. "Togepi, what are you doing here? What happened?"  
  
Pikachu pointed to a red bag lying in the bush. "Is that her bag?" Haruka asked. Pikachu nodded.  
  
"Togepi looks a little roughened up," Brock said, looking him over. "And that bag must have been dumped in the bush!"  
  
"This isn't good," Haruka told them. "We need to find Ash, and Misty!"  
  
"Let's go!" Brock said, carrying Togepi. Haruka put Misty's bag on her back and ran with him, Pikachu running on the ground.  
  
'I hope they're both alright ... ' Brock thought.  
  
***  
  
"Who are you!?" Ash cried out, slamming the sides of his prison box. It was pitch black inside. "Let me out of here! Please!" he shouted. No one replied.  
  
"Please! I have to get to Lilycove tomorrow! I have a friend there, a girl, and I need to talk to her!" he called.  
  
He heard footsteps walking over to him. A tiny hatch opened, letting a small ray of artificial light in. "What does this girl look like?" a soft female voice asked.  
  
"Why do you wanna know?" he asked.  
  
"Because I'm a cop," she whispered to him.  
  
"What?" he asked her in disbelief.  
  
"I'm gathering evidence against the Legen Gang," she told him. "They're a gang searching for rare psychic-type Pokémon. At the moment, they're looking for a Mew."  
  
"Mew?" Ash wondered. "Well what am I doing here? I'm not a Mew!"  
  
"You wandered into their surveillance area. Usually they would have just beaten and dumped you near Lilycove, but their scanners detected something coming from you," she informed him. Other footsteps came near and she shut the spy-hole. When they passed by, she opened it up again.  
  
"What did they find coming from me?" he asked.  
  
"They found psychic waves, distinct only to Mew, connected to your brain." When Ash didn't answer she continued. "You have a psychic link to Mew. Mew is talking to you in your dreams."  
  
"But why did you ask me about my friend?"  
  
"This team has informants in Lilycove," she said. "Yesterday one of them got hold of a message in the Pokémon Centre, about a girl called Misty, and a boy called Ash who was having the same dreams as each other. When they caught you, the leader thought it was more than a coincidence. He told two of the men to go to Lilycove and get that girl."  
  
"They have Misty!?" he shouted. "If they hurt her I'll-"  
  
"She's fine!" she shouted, interrupting him. She lowered her voice back down to a whisper and carried on talking. "But she won't be. Both of you won't be. The leader is desperate to find Mew. He's convinced the two of you know where Mew is. He'll interrogate you."  
  
"I don't know where Mew is," Ash said to her. "We have to get out of here."  
  
"I'll help you get out of here. Try and get to Lilycove City and find Officer Jenny," she told him.  
  
"I'll find her," he agreed.  
  
The woman shut the spy hole. Footsteps moved round to the other side, and his cage was opened. Ash squinted against the unfamiliar light. When he was used to it, he looked and saw the woman wearing a lavender trouser- skirt, and a lavender tie-top. Goggles covered her eyes.  
  
"Let's go," she said. Ash nodded and climbed out.  
  
He found himself in a small cave. A heater and lamps were scattered around and there was one exit, carved into the rock. They walked up the passageway, the woman going first. When they got to the top, she peered round to see if anyone was there. She signalled for Ash to move, and she guided him to the left, and down another passageway.  
  
"Wait here," she whispered, pushing him into a small crevice in the rock. "I'll distract the guard in there." Ash nodded off, and she went into the room.  
  
He could hear her talking to the other guard, a male. She told him the leader said he could go up for some fresh air, and that she would guard the girl. The guard seemed only too relieved, and walked out. Ash could smell his deodorant as he walked past him, inches away from him. He then rushed into the other room.  
  
"I know someone's there!" he heard coming muffled from a big square-shaped metal case. "Let me out!"  
  
"Be quiet, they'll hear you," the woman told her. "Is your name Misty?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, and just let me out! I need to find Togepi and get back to Lilycove!" The officer moved to open the case.  
  
"Misty?" Ash asked quietly.  
  
The case opened and Misty scrambled out, not caring that she could barely see. The first person she found was slightly taller than she was. She grabbed their clothes tightly in her hands. "I'm gonna-"  
  
"Misty calm down! It's me," a familiar voice said. She blinked and allowed her eyes to adjust. When they did, she saw herself looking into familiar brown eyes.  
  
"Ash?" she asked, unsure. He nodded. "Ash!" she cried, wrapping her arms round him. Ash returned it, and hugged her for all she was worth.  
  
"Look, as touching as this is, we really need to go. Now," the officer said.  
  
"What's-" Misty tried to ask, separating her self from Ash.  
  
"She's an undercover cop. She's gonna get us out of here," he filled her. "I'll tell you about it later." Misty nodded.  
  
"Come on!" the woman said, making her way out of the cave. Ash took Misty's hand and led her out.  
  
***  
  
"This is really freaking me out!" Haruka shouted. "How can two people disappear?"  
  
"They can disappear very easily," Brock told her. They were still walking in the forest, having searched for Ash, and now Misty, for an hour. It was dark and Brock was using the torch he had luckily brought along with him.  
  
Togepi began to cry a little. "Pipipi," Pikachu said to him. "Pikapi pi Pikachupi pika pichu pika pikachu pi." Togepi cheered up a little.  
  
"Freeze!" a man said suddenly. They all jumped up in fright, and turned round to see a man dressed in lavender pointing a gun at them.  
  
"Don't shoot!" Haruka cried. "I'm too young to die!"  
  
"Shut up and you won't," he said with a rough voice.  
  
"Thunderbolt!" Brock cried.  
  
"Pi ... ka ... chu!" Pikachu cried, releasing his Thunderbolt. The man cried out in pain before collapsing on the floor, unconscious.  
  
"I think we can guess what happened to them," Haruka said, still shaking.  
  
"This is serious! We need to call Officer Jenny!" Brock said, running back in the direction they came from.  
  
"Brock, where are you going!?" she shouted to him, picking up Pikachu and running after him.  
  
"To get the PokéGear!" he called, waiting for her to catch up. "We can call using that!"  
  
"What about Ash and-" she tried to say.  
  
"We're not gonna have a chance against guns. It's too dangerous," he told her. She nodded her head reluctantly, and they ran back to make the phone call.  
  
***  
  
Alarms suddenly began to go off inside the cave.  
  
"What's happening?" Ash asked as they stopped moving. He let go of Misty's hand.  
  
"This isn't good," the officer said.  
  
"Do they know we've escaped?" Misty asked.  
  
"Yes. We'll be found any second now. Run and follow me!" she ordered as she ran. Misty, then Ash, followed her down the narrow corridor.  
  
"Stop!" a member of the Legen Gang ordered, stepping in front of them.  
  
"Keep going, that way!" The officer told them, pointing to a passageway to the right. "That will take you out of here!"  
  
"But what about-" Misty began.  
  
"I'll take care of these clowns," she said, pulling a Poké ball out. "Poochiena, go!" she cried. "Go now!" she told Ash and Misty. They ran off down the corridor as the gang member threw in an Arbok.  
  
They ran as fast as they could down the passage. "Where's the exit!?" Misty cried, running ahead of Ash.  
  
"There!" Ash shouted, spotting a ladder going up above ground. They reached it and Misty began to climb. Ash was nearly at the top when he heard a man cry, "Poison Sting!" and felt a sharp pain in his leg. He cried out, but quickly dragged himself out and into the night.  
  
"Help me shut the hatch," Misty said to him, noticing a panel to seal it. Together they closed it down and turned the huge wheel on top, shutting it. They fell back on the ground to catch their breath.  
  
"We made it," he said to Misty. She smiled, and then noticed the blood stain on his leg.  
  
"Ash, your leg!" she cried, moving to touch it.  
  
"It can wait, let's go," he gritted, standing up and limping away. He walked five steps before he collapsed.  
  
"Ash, let me help you," Misty suggested. She put Ash's arm around her shoulder and her arm under his and around his back.  
  
"Sorry," he said to her as they moved away as quickly as they could.  
  
"For what?" she asked.  
  
"This," he answered. "Seeing you again ... well, I didn't imagine it to be in this situation." He laughed.  
  
"Better than not seeing you at all," she told him sincerely. He smiled and she blushed at her honestly.  
  
***  
  
They limped through the forest for 20 minutes, having stopped to rest once. Misty looked at Ash to see perspiration on his forehead, and heard his breathing was a little hard.  
  
"We should stop again," she told him. Ash was in no condition to argue, so Misty put him down gently, then sat next to him.  
  
Ash took in deep breaths. "Sorry," he apologised in-between them.  
  
"It's not your fault," she told him. "We'd better stay here for a while."  
  
"We can talk, at least," he said.  
  
"What happened in your dreams?" Misty asked him.  
  
"There were two Pokémon fighting. I ran out, they hit me, and I got turned to stone. You ran to me, cried and shouted. The Pokémon cried and 'Mewtwo' used the tears to save me. You told me you needed me." He stopped and looked at her.  
  
"Exactly the same," she whispered, unable to believe it. "How is that possible?"  
  
"Means they're not dreams, but memories," he said quietly to her.  
  
"But wouldn't we remember them?" Misty asked.  
  
A bright light appeared in front of them. When it disappeared, a small pink Pokémon was there, hovering in the air.  
  
~Not if you were forced to forget them, ~ a female voice said telepathically to them.  
  
"You're Mew, aren't you?" Ash asked. Mew nodded.  
  
"When did all this happen?" Misty wondered.  
  
~It happened five years ago, ~ Mew replied.  
  
"Why are remembering now, in bits and pieces in our dreams?" Ash asked.  
  
~Because, together, you two will save the world. Alone you will fail, but together you will succeed. That is all I can say now. ~ Mew flew down and touched Ash's leg gently. ~I have removed the poison Ash. Now remember the dreams, keep them with you. Good luck. ~ The bright light appeared again. Mew was gone when it faded.  
  
"Save the world?" Misty asked, slightly worried.  
  
"I don't like the sound of ... " faded off. They leaned against each other as sleep washed over them and they remembered the final piece of that puzzle.  
  
***  
  
*~*  
  
The two happy laughs continued to echo throughout the stadium, so relieved to see each other alive.  
  
"Thank god," she kept on whispering in his ear.  
  
"Did you mean it?" he asked. Misty tensed up and moved away from him. "I heard everything. Please don't panic."  
  
"I-" she began to say, before she was cut off.  
  
~I am taking the clones with me. We will remember what happened here, ~ Mewtwo said. All the cloned Pokémon levitated off the floor and hovered besides Mewtwo.  
  
Ash stood up, pulling Misty up too. "Where will you go?" he asked.  
  
~Somewhere ... to find my meaning in life. I think these events would be best forgotten for you. ~ Mewtwo then waved his arms around to begin.  
  
"No!" Misty shouted. "They wouldn't! Being here ... this happening ... if we never remember, I'll never realise ... just how much I care about Ash!" She looked at him and saw surprise was an understatement for the look on his face.  
  
~It must be done. People have already died in the storms. Turning back time will bring them back to life, ~ he told them. ~1 minute will pass before it takes effect. ~ Mewtwo and the clones flew off in the sky.  
  
Ash looked around the stadium. The three trainers were heading to their Pokémon. Brock was trying it on with Nurse Joy, who was actually listening. Since she would never remember it wouldn't have mattered.  
  
"I'm sorry," Misty said. Tears were in her eyes and she fiercely rubbed them away.  
  
"Why are you sorry?" Ash asked. He plucked up the courage and reached for her hand. "I didn't know you liked me." He implied she should sit on the floor and they both did.  
  
"Now you do," she replied. "And in about 30 seconds you'll never remember."  
  
"Don't think of it like that," he said.  
  
"How else is there?" she shouted. "I admitted it! I finally admitted it! My heart was pounding. I was so scared! And all for what? Nothing!"  
  
Ash looked at her sweetly, then leaned over and kissed her cheek. They both turned pink. "I like you too Misty," he murmured in her ear.  
  
"God Ash ... Please don't forget," she whispered lightly as both their lips moved close, and they kissed.  
  
Behind closed eyes they both saw the flash of light. They broke the kiss and opened their eyes. The stadium was being enveloped in a light. Misty panicked, grabbed hold of Ash's hand and gripped it. Ash gripped back.  
  
Then there was that feeling of falling.  
  
Falling ... forgetting ... falling ... forgetting ...  
  
*~*  
  
***  
  
"Ah!" they both cried as they woke up, startling Brock, who fell off his chair, and almost giving Haruka a heart attack.  
  
"You're awake!" Brock cried.  
  
"Brock!" Misty said happily, sitting up in her bed. She then noticed who was sitting on Brock's lap.  
  
"Toge togepii!" Togepi chirped happily.  
  
"Togepi!" Misty said affectionately, taking him off Brock. "I was so worried!" She hugged it.  
  
"Pikachu!" Ash cried, Pikachu jumping onto Ash's lap.  
  
"I'll just go," Haruka said, standing up.  
  
"Stay," Misty said. "What's your name?" she asked her.  
  
"Haruka," Haruka told her. "I ran into Ash at Littleroot Town because Pikachu wasn't well. He toasted my bike!"  
  
Misty laughed and looked across at Ash. "You're so unlucky Ash!" she said in-between giggles.  
  
"It wasn't my fault," he sulked.  
  
"Like it wasn't your fault with my bike?" she asked.  
  
"You broke her bike as well?" Haruka asked.  
  
"Stole and then broke it," Brock corrected.  
  
"Pikachu was hurt! I needed to get to the Pokémon Centre!" Ash defended. "At least you got it back," he smiled.  
  
Nurse Joy then walked into the room. "Thank goodness you're awake!" she breathed in relief. "You've been asleep for 2 days!"  
  
"2 days!?" they both exclaimed.  
  
"What happened?" Misty asked.  
  
"Well," Brock began. "We found Togepi and your bag in the forest while Haruka and I were looking for Ash. We then ran into someone we later found out to be from the Legen Gang. He had a gun so Pikachu shocked him and we ran back to call Officer Jenny."  
  
"When she arrived with backup," Haruka continued, "we led her to where we ran into that guy. We found a base, built underground, where Jenny told us one of her officers was working undercover."  
  
"The one who saved us ... " Ash murmured.  
  
Brock took over. "We found her and managed to arrest the entire gang. The agent said you two had run for it about 30 minutes before, so a search party was formed to find you. You were found, unconscious, slumped against a tree."  
  
"You were in a strange dream," Joy explained. "A hyperactive state of dreaming, similar to what some amnesia patients go through. Usually they regain memories in that state, but with you two, memories were being formed."  
  
"But those memories were real," Ash argued. "They happened."  
  
"Ash, you were probably overwhelmed by one of their psychic Pokémon," Brock said. "I've heard of it happening."  
  
Ash looked to Misty. She smiled, as if saying she believed him.  
  
"There was also something else," Joy said. "Ash, you had a Poison Sting embedded in your leg. Somehow, the poison from it didn't get into your bloodstream. I would hate to think of what would happen if it did!" she said as she left the room.  
  
Misty shot a look at Ash. Mew had gotten rid of the poison. It was true.  
  
***  
  
The next day Ash and Misty were allowed to leave their room, although Ash's leg hurt a little. They agreed to 'see the sights' of Lilycove after breakfast. But to do that, they had to escape from Brock, whom Nurse Joy had told to stay with them 24/7.  
  
"How are we gonna escape him?" Misty whispered to Ash. They were standing in the reception of the Centre.  
  
"Easy," Ash said, and he walked up to Brock.  
  
"What's up Ash?" Brock asked, hearing him approach.  
  
"Err," Ash thought up fast. "Nurse Joy said you were cute!"  
  
"Whatever," Brock sighed. "She never thinks that."  
  
"She does!" Misty assured him, walking over to him. "She said you were 'the most charming and sweetest guy on the planet' for taking care of us two, when you could be out there having fun."  
  
"Really?" Brock asked her.  
  
Misty nodded. "She said she'd be happy to go out with someone as caring as you."  
  
"Really!?" he shouted, excitedly.  
  
"Go ask her! I saw her go through that door," Misty directed him. "Take that chance Brock, otherwise you'll be out of the love game for sure!"  
  
"I will!" Brock announced. "Nurse Joy, here I come!" he shouted, and he ran through that door.  
  
"Run!" Ash said, moving as fast as he could to the door.  
  
"He's gonna get killed!" Misty shouted. Ash looked at the sign on the door.  
  
GIRLS CHANGING ROOM  
  
They both laughed as they went out through the door.  
  
'Have fun guys,' Haruka thought as she watched them leave. She smiled and went to rescue Brock.  
  
"I didn't know!" she heard him shout. Screams came out loud, followed by slapping noises and Brock falling out the door and on the floor.  
  
Haruka giggled and dragged Brock back to their room. She'd look after Pikachu and Togepi for them.  
  
***  
  
Ash and Misty managed to spend the entire day together without getting caught. They visited the PokéHouse and watched a "Cute" competition between a Pikachu, a Pichu, an Azuril and a Togepi. Naturally, Misty had routed for the Togepi all the way, it narrowly being beaten by the Pichu. Ash tried his best to act as upset as Misty was, only just managing to claim his prize money from the desk without Misty knowing.  
  
Next they hit the shopping centre. Lunch at the café there was cheeseburgers and chips. Then they went shopping, looking at clothes, make- up and anything that really interested them.  
  
Afterwards they wandered through the residential area of Lilycove, ending up in the huge gardens there. Ash took hold of Misty's hand and they walked through in comfortable silence, blushing slightly when onlookers said how cute a couple they were.  
  
When the sun began to set slightly, they reached the beach. They sat down on the sand near the edge of the beach and looked out at the waves crashing on the shore. Both sat in silence for minutes, not knowing what to say.  
  
"We need to talk about this," Ash said suddenly, breaking the silence.  
  
"I know," Misty replied. "I just don't know what to say to you."  
  
"Let's walk," he said, standing up and offering his hand to her. Accepting it, he pulled her up.  
  
"You might wanna take off your shoes," Ash said to her. He pulled his shoes off, leaving them further up on the sand. Misty left hers there as well. Ash rolled his trousers up to his knees and placed his hat with his shoes.  
  
"Ready yet?" Misty joked as she ran off.  
  
"Hey, wait up!" he cried as he chased her.  
  
They ran up and down the beach chasing each other, tickling each other, laughing, anything to delay talking about the inevitable.  
  
Ash waded out into the clear warm water until it was up to his hip. "Try and get me here!" he shouted to Misty. She grinned, ready to soak him.  
  
"I'll get you Ash Ketchum!" Misty called out, running out towards him. Ash used his hands to splash water at her, making her scream. She followed suit and splashed him back.  
  
When they were both soaked, Ash held up his hands. "I give up!" he cried.  
  
Misty stopped splashing and moved to stand by him. Ash lowered his arms slowly and placed them on her underwater hips, Misty at the same time placing her hands on his shoulder, by his neck.  
  
"I still like you Misty," Ash said to her, secretly shaking inside. "Hell, I more than just like you," he whispered, moving his head closer.  
  
"I've missed you so much Ash," Misty whispered breathlessly. Their lips moving closer, almost meeting again ...  
  
"Pi-ka-pi!" broke the moment. Misty gasped loudly, while Ash placed his forehead on hers and sighed.  
  
"Ash!" they heard Brock shout. "Misty! Where are you!? You are so dead when I find you!"  
  
Ash and Misty looked to the walkway above and along the shore, seeing Brock, holding Togepi, and Pikachu run past, shouting their names. Haruka was walking slowly behind him, looking bored out of her mind. She looked out to the sea and setting sun, and saw two people standing in the water. She looked closely and saw ...  
  
Ash and Misty with their arms round each other, looking at her. She stopped still and blinked, making she wasn't seeing things. She wasn't. Then Ash took one of his hands from around Misty and put one finger to his lips. Misty held a pleading look on her face. Haruka nodded, winked, and ran after Brock.  
  
"She's a lifesaver," Misty said, turning her attention back to Ash. "Where were we? I think you were saying how much you liked me."  
  
"How much you missed me," he corrected, moving his mouth closer to hers.  
  
"Just kiss me," she begged him urgently.  
  
Finally their lips met. The kiss was much like their 'first' one was, lips placed on lips. Then the lips began to caress each other, the kiss deepening. Misty slid her hands up into his thick hair, running her fingers through it, gently and meticulously undoing all the knots she happened to find. Ash pulled Misty as close to him as he could, wrapping his arms fully around her, passion escalating between then.  
  
"Brock! They're not down there!" Haruka suddenly shouted, making Ash and Misty break their kiss. They looked to the shore, seeing Brock walk back and head towards the steps that led down onto the beach. Ash and Misty separated, making their way back onto the sand. Brock and Haruka ran up to them.  
  
"Where have you been all day!?" Brock shouted, angry. "Nurse Joy has been going crazy, and we've walked all the way round this city looking for you!"  
  
"Pikachupi pika pikachu pichu Pikapi pi Pii," Pikachu said, jumping into Haruka's arms.  
  
"Misty wanted to escape, so we did," Ash told him.  
  
"I wanted to? You're the one who said you were bored!" Misty began to argue to him.  
  
"You were the one who told Brock to walk into the girls bathroom so we could go!" he said back.  
  
"What can happen in 60 seconds?" Haruka asked. "When we walked by you were all over each other and now look!"  
  
"He can happen!" Misty shouted, jabbing a finger at Ash. "I can't believe I came all the way out here!"  
  
"Well why don't you go back!?" Ash blared. Misty's face displayed hurt and she tried not to get tears in her eyes..  
  
"Ash!" Brock told him off. "She travelled all this way to-"  
  
"You are so dense!" Misty screamed, getting closer to him.  
  
"Scrawny runt!" he countered. He also moved closer, now glaring into each other's eyes.  
  
"You two never change!" Brock cried, stepping in to break them up, like he had done many times before. "Now we better get back to the Pokémon Centre." He got no response.  
  
Misty then pushed Ash away, hard, with her hands and stormed off towards where their shoes were. Everyone followed behind her. She put her shoes on, while Ash did the same, also placing his cap back on his head.  
  
Ash turned to Brock and saw him give him a glaring look, implying what to say. Ash sighed and turned back to face Misty, who began to walk away quickly. Ash ran to catch up to her.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said remorsefully to her, reaching to place his hand on her shoulder. She whacked it away with her hand.  
  
"Don't say sorry. I'm doing what you wanted! I'm going back! Back to a live of being walked over by my sisters! Of being called a 'runt' and 'scrawny'!" she said angrily and tearfully, continuing walking.  
  
"I didn't mean that Misty!" he said emotionally. "It just ... came out! We used to call each other things like that and I said it automatically!" He walked in front of her, stopping her.  
  
"Move out of the way Ash," she warned.  
  
"No!" Ash told her firmly. "I am sorry. I haven't seen you in over a year, and ... I didn't know what to say around you! The dreams didn't help, and neither did getting captured by the Legen Gang. Then we spent the entire day together Misty! We watched a show, went shopping, walked ... We kissed all of 3 minutes ago!"  
  
Brock's eyes popped out of his head as he listened not too far behind. Pikachu looked at each of them in shock. Togepi chirped happily, whilst Haruka smiled.  
  
"I wanna be with you Misty," Ash said, taking her hand in his.  
  
"I wanna be with you too!" she cried, flinging her arms around his neck. Ash placed his arms around her and they kissed.  
  
"Finally!" Brock cried. They broke apart and Brock moved to put a hand on their shoulders, giving Togepi to Misty. "Now can we go back? It's cold out here." He glanced to Haruka who walked over to them. Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder.  
  
"Yeah, let's go," Ash said. Misty offered her hand, and he took it, intertwining their fingers. They walked off the beach ahead of Brock and Haruka.  
  
Haruka whispered quietly to Brock, "They make a lovely couple." Brock smiled at her, nodded, and turned his head forward to watch them as they headed back to the Pokémon Centre.  
  
***  
  
Three travellers dragged themselves along the road. They looked battle- worn and hungry, their clothes ripped and their head ruffled.  
  
They reach a grassy verge and collapse on it. "Finally, we're here!" the female exclaimed. She pulled off her travelling cloak to reveal long red hair.  
  
"It took long enough!" the man moaned. Removing his cloak, short blue/purple hair was displayed.  
  
"I've just got one question," a small speaking Pokémon asked. "Jessie! James! Where are we's gonna sleep tonight!?"  
  
"We'll think of somewhere!" Jessie reassured them. "Firstly, we need to find the three twerps."  
  
"They're over there!" James cried, spotting them walking on the sidewalk.  
  
"Let's strike now and take their Pokémon!" Meowth suggested.  
  
Jessie looked across at them. "Hang on ... last count there was three twerps," she said.  
  
"Jessie there's always three twerps," Meowth told her.  
  
"Well I'm counting four," she checked again.  
  
James looked over at them as well, seeing them move in and out of the streetlights. "Isn't that the red-head twerp?" James asked.  
  
Meowth now looked across the street. "Awww! They're holding hands! Da twerps are loveboirds!" Meowth swooned.  
  
"Jessie, we can't really attack them now," James appealed to her. "Let's leave it until tomorrow."  
  
Jessie sighed at them. "You're right," she said. "The romantic in me won't let me ruin this."  
  
"I know! Let's grab a pizza to's celebrate for them!" Meowth suggested.  
  
Team Rocket smiled evilly at each other then moved off to hijack the nearest pizza truck.  
  
***  
  
Finished! Yay! I had writers block towards the end! I wasn't sure about how the day in Lilycove should go.  
  
And Team Rocket ... I had to put them in somewhere! I created a whole new team, but left them out!  
  
Lilycove City and Mauville City are real places in Hoenn. If you weren't aware of the names, Lilycove City is Minamo City and Mauville City is Kinsetsu City.  
  
Oh well, this is the longest fic yet! Review please! Stay tuned for my next imaginative creation, coming soon and featuring the most hated Gym Leader ever! 


End file.
